Something to watch tonight: Thursday 26 June

50 Greatest Films #30: Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Sciamma, 2019)

The New York Times has just launched a week-long celebration of films from the 21st century, including a top 100 compiled from votes gathered from various luminaries. Setting aside the fact that the year 2000 is not in the 21st century and that the accuracy of lists such as as these are questionable from every angle, I’m glad these lists get made because they provide a way to navigate through all that art/content when decision paralysis is such a problem. Also because they do what this newsletter hopes to do – make recommendations with some added illuminating context.

I see various chums and connections of mine have taken the opportunity to post their own ballot but I will demur. My brain just doesn’t work like that – I can barely remember what I watched yesterday and if it wasn’t for Letterboxd, the original Funerals & Snake archive and this newsletter, I wouldn’t know where to start.

That’s why I have the long-term project of watching (or rewatching where necessary) the top 50 films in the Sight & Sound survey from 2022. Today we reach number 30 – Portrait of a Lady on Fire, the first film from this century to be included and the only film in the top 50 list that was released since the previous survey.

I was lucky enough to review Portrait of a Lady on Fire for RNZ At the Movies when it came out and recommended it here back in September 2023:

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a film about limits. The limits placed on women because of gender, the limits put on lesbian women because of prejudice and the limits put on a squeezed aristocracy when the money disappears at the same time as the men do. The title of the film comes from an incident in the story but it’s also a little bit of a misnomer. Portrait of a Lady on Firesmoulders throughout, there is considerable heat under the surface but for all the characters there is no easy way to let it out.

Superbly crafted from beginning to end, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is going to be lots of people’s favourite film of the year. It’s romantic, political, sensitive and sensory. If your idea of great cinema is to watch the play of emotions make their way across the face of a character trying to suppress them, this film is going to be right up your alley.

I’ve removed the paywall from that post so you can read more of the summary and follow the links.

Editor’s Note

The Doc Edge festival has just opened in Auckland and in previous years I wrote a preview of some of the featured titles. RNZ isn’t much interested in that sort of thing any longer and, without the small amount of coinage they provided, I can’t justify spending the time on it. If you would like to see these previews return you can either contact RNZ and lobby them for more or buy a subscription here. I would be very grateful either way.

For an alternative viewpoint on Doc Edge and its position in New Zealand’s cinema firmament, here’s friend of the newsletter, Johnny Crawford: The last bastion of liberal Zionism in Aotearoa.

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Where to watch Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Aotearoa: Digital rental from AroVision and others

Australia: Digital rental

Canada: Digital rental

Ireland: Digital rental

India: Streaming on Prime Video or Mubi

USA: Streaming on Max

UK: Streaming on ITVx (free with ads) or Curzon